Idea Contest

The International open single-phase idea contest “Hacking Urban Furniture – Urban furniture in Communal-Collective-Cooperation (CCC)” searched for ideas for new forms, meanings and concepts of urban furniture. The focus here was on substantial conceptions of new economic models, functional expansions and civil-societal participation. Mere questions of design were not at the core of this contest; rather, it was about the collaboration of society, public function and formal solution.

Download call for proposal ›


Expert jury:

- Prof. Folke Köbberling (artist)
- Gilly Karjevsky (curator)
- Gergely Laszlo (artist)
- Jan Bovelet (architecture theorist)
- Joanne Pouzenc (urban researcher)
- Prof. Kaja Pogacar (urban planner)
- KUNSTrePUBLIK (artist collective)

Preview: Miodrag Kuč (urban researcher)

Josef-Matthias Printschler

WTHUF

Josef-Matthias Printschler’s application, WTHUF – what the hack is urban furniture? chose an entirely different approach to the rest of the entries on the problems raised within the framework of Hacking Urban Furniture; it was the odd one out. Strictly speaking, Printschler’s application does not fulfil the requirements of the competition, as it does not propose a concept for a specific urban furniture. Instead of a proposal, the architect provides us with an analytic guide to thinking about, planning and conceiving urban furniture as such. By doing so, he puts himself into a critical position, raising problems and questions that all applicants could or should have been concerned with, while writing their proposals to HUF.
 
The jury decided to award Josef-Matthias Printschler an honourable mention, valuing a very witty and accurate analysis of the discourse at hand. Furthermore, the jury recognises WTHUF’s potential as a contribution that may serve as a guideline for similar competitions, a structure of criteria for future HUF projects.

Gergely Laszlo

    Hacking Urban Furniture: artworks, ideas competition, exhibition co-funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds